Method for processing flat deliveries in delivery containers

ABSTRACT

Method according to which deliveries ( 3 ), which have been sorted with the aid of a sorting installation ( 1 ), are transferred from end locations ( 2 ) into delivery containers ( 5 ). Said installation comprises intermediate storage compartments ( 4 ) in the end locations ( 2 ) for a respective delivery container ( 5 ), which receives the deliveries ( 3 ) of the respective end location ( 2 ). An element confirming the presence of a delivery container ( 5 ) is provided for each intermediate storage compartment ( 4 ). After the removal of a full delivery container ( 5 ) from the respective intermediate storage compartment ( 4 ), an empty delivery container ( 5 ) is introduced into said compartment ( 4 ) and a signal triggered by the confirmation element causes the identification reference ( 9 ) of the delivery container ( 5 ), which has previously been read by a read device ( 12 ), to be assigned to the target address or the target address zone, which has been assigned to this end location ( 2 ) by the current sorting plan, and to be stored.

The invention relates to a method for processing mail pieces accordingto the preamble of claim 1.

In the known sorting machine, trays without fixed identification marksare used. After the end of the sorting operation, the mail pieces aretransferred from the sorting bins of the sorting machine into the trayswhich are provided in buffer storage units assigned to the sorting bins,and the concluded transfer operation is acknowledged for the respectivesorting bin by means of key actuation. As a result, by means of a labelprinter, a label with the current destination address is printed out incoded and/or readable form for this sorting bin or with anidentification label and is attached to the container by the operator.The requirement for an identification label automatically involvesassignment between the identification label and the destination address,this assignment being filed in the control and being available forfurther identification. This solution does not allow the expedient useof trays with fixed identification marks in the mail handling process,since it is not possible for these identification marks to be coupled tothe destination addresses on the basis of the abovementioned technology.

The object on which the invention is based is to provide a genericmethod, in which fixed identification marks of trays, into which themail pieces are transferred from the sorting bins of the sortingmachine, are assigned to the variable destination addresses of thesorting bins at low outlay and reliably, so that the identificationmarks can be utilized for further process steps after sorting, forexample the automatic attachment of a label or tie-up to a traymanagement system.

The object is achieved, according to the invention, by means of a methodhaving the features of claim 1.

For each buffer storage unit belonging to a sorting bin, a confirmationelement for the presence of a tray is provided. After a filled tray hasbeen discharged from the respective buffer storage unit and after theconfirmation element has at the same time been reset to the empty state,an empty tray is reloaded into this buffer storage unit. As a result ofa signal triggered in this case from the confirmation element, theidentification mark belonging to the tray and previously read by areading device is assigned to the destination address for thedestination address area allocated to this sorting bin by the currentsorting plan and is stored. By means of this procedure, theidentification marks of the trays, for example in the form of RFIDlabels, are reliably assigned to the current destination addresses ofthe respective storing bin, without each storing bin needing to possessa reader for identification marks.

Advantageous refinements of the invention are presented in thesubclaims.

Thus, it is advantageous if the reading device is blocked, after thereading of the identification mark, until the next confirmation signalrelating to the presence of a tray is triggered. This prevents thesituation where, when several operators use one reading device together,the correct assignment of the identification mark to the destinationaddress is lost.

It is also advantageous to provide a confirmation element a presencesensor for trays in the buffer storage unit. A corresponding presencesignal is thereby triggered automatically.

In a further design variant for confirmation elements, a switchingelement to be actuated by the operator is located at the buffer storageunit or at the assigned sorting bin. This ensures semiautomaticoperation, in which case the operator can take into account the degreeof filling of the tray in the supply and discharge of these.

Advantageously, the sorting machine also has a fully automatic orsemiautomatic supply device for empty trays.

Advantageously, one or more supply stations equipped in each case with areading device for the identification marks of the tray are provided forthe empty trays. When the trays are supplied for the entire sortingmachine or for specific areas, the reading of the respectiveidentification marks also takes place. It is consequently possible tokeep the walking distances of the operators short.

To ensure the reliable assignment of the identification marks even inthe event of the change from one sorting run with an associated sortingplan to the next sorting run with an associated sorting plan, in afurther advantageous refinement, after the last delivery of the previoussorting run has been sorted according to the associated sorting plan,for the mail pieces to be sorted in the next sorting run the sortingbins are assigned to the destination addresses according to the sortingplan of the next sorting run, so that, for example using separatingcards, the next sorting run can be commenced without interruption. Whenall the mail pieces of an sorting bin of the previous sorting run aretransferred, the tray for these mail pieces is removed from the bufferstorage unit and a new empty tray for the mail pieces of the new sortingrun is contained, after the reading of its identification mark, in therespective buffer storage unit, the corresponding switching element isactuated twice in succession, as a result of the first actuation thepresence of the tray in the buffer storage unit being signaled, and as aresult of the second actuation the change of the assignment of theidentification mark to the new destination address taking place.

It is advantageous, furthermore, if, at each sorting bin, a signalgenerator is located, which is switched on by virtue of the correctactuation of the switching element during the loading of the bufferstorage unit and is switched off automatically, by a presence sensorlocated in each buffer storage unit, during the removal of the tray fromthe buffer storage unit. The operator can thereby recognize theswitching and assignment state and avoid errors.

The invention is explained in more detail below in an exemplaryembodiment, with reference to the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic top view of a sorting machine.

As may be gathered from FIG. 1, located next to one another along asorting machine 1 are sorting bins 2, into which the mail pieces 3 aresorted, standing on their narrow sides, according to destinationaddresses in conformity with a sorting plan. The sorting bins 2 aredesigned as sorting compartments, at the stacking point of which themail pieces enter the stacking compartment and are held in the verticalposition by a stack support, not illustrated, which can be displacedaway from the stacking point according to the stack size counter to aspring force. Each sorting bin 2 has belonging to it a buffer storageunit 4 which receives a sorting bin 5 with a fixed identification mark 9and into which the mail pieces 3 are transferred from this sorting bin 2when the sorting bin 2 is correspondingly filled. The buffer storageunits 4 are normally located below the sorting bin 2 and are drawnforward solely for the transfer operations and for re-equipping withtrays 3, on telescopic rails into the position illustrated for all thesorting bins 2 in the drawing for a clearer explanation. Located in theregion of each sorting bin 2 is a switching element 6 (designed as akey) and a signal generator 7, (designed as a luminous element) whichindicates whether the switching element 6 has been properly actuated.Within the buffer storage unit 4 is arranged a presence sensor8(designed as a light barrier) which detects whether a tray 5 is locatedin the buffer storage unit 2 or not. Arranged parallel to the sortingbin 2, at a distance which leaves sufficient space for the operators, isa supply device 10 for empty trays 5 with a plurality of supply stations11. Each supply station 11 has a reading device 12 for theidentification marks 9 of the trays 3. These identification marks 9 maybe both optically readable bar codes and RFID tags.

The number of supply stations 11 is defined as a function of the numberof sorting bin 2, in such a way that the operator or operators have tocover as short distances as possible. In this example, each supplystation 11 with the reading device 12 is assigned an area with 4 sortingbins 2. A further reason for division is to safeguard the assignment ofthe read identification mark 9 and station 2 or the correspondingdestination address. In order to guarantee this, the sorting bins andthe associated reading devices 12 are also assigned to specificoperators. In the case of overlapping assignments, that is to say twooperators are competent for one area, after the reading of anidentification mark 9, the reading device 12 is blocked until the nextconfirmation signal relating to the new presence of a tray 5 in asorting bin 2 of this area is triggered.

During a sorting run, the mail pieces 3 are sorted into the sorting bins2. Where a sorting bin 2 is approximately {fraction (2/3)} full, therespective buffer storage unit 4 is drawn out, and the mail pieces 3 aretransferred from the sorting bin 2 into the tray 5 in the buffer storageunit 4. The tray 5 is then removed. Triggered by the change of signalfrom the presence sensor 8, the signal generator/luminous element 7 isextinguished. The operator then extracts an empty tray 5 from the supplydevice 10 at the corresponding supply station 11, allows theidentification mark 9 to be read by the reading device 12 and placessaid container into the empty buffer storage unit 4 in which the signalgenerator 7 signals no container absence. It subsequently actuates theswitching element 6, with the result that the signal generator 7 emits aluminous signal again and at the same time the identification mark 9 ofthis tray 5 is assigned to the destination address which has beenallocated to this sorting bin 2 by the active sorting plan.

In order to avoid unnecessary standstill times in the sorting machine 1,after the sorting of the last delivery 3 of the previous sorting run,separating cards are introduced into the sorting bin 2, said separatingcards identifying the last delivery 3 in each sorting bin 2, and thenext sorting run is commenced without interruption. For this purpose, achange from the destination addresses according to the sorting plan ofthe previous sorting run which were allocated to the sorting bins 2 tothe destination addresses according to the sorting plan of the newsorting run takes place. However, this assignment change with respect tothe identification marks 9 of the trays 5 for each sorting bin 2 iscarried out only when all the mail pieces 3 of the previous sorting runat the sorting bin 2 have been transferred into a tray 5 and this tray 5has been removed. After the new empty tray 5 has been extracted from thesupply station 11 after the reading of the identification mark 9 and hasbeen placed into the respective buffer storage unit 4, the respectiveswitching element 6 is actuated twice in succession.

The first actuation signals the presence of the tray 5 just read in thebuffer storage unit 4 and the second actuation results in the newallocation of this sorting bin 2 to the destination address according tothe sorting plan of the new sorting run. This is carried out until allthe sorting bins are worked through. When no delivery 3 has been sortedinto a specific sorting bin 2 during a sorting run, the sorting bin 2and associated tray 5 are empty. In this case, the signal generator 5still lights up and the switching element 6 has to be actuated once onlyin order to carry out the change to the new sorting plan.

1. A method for processing mail pieces with the aid of a sortingmachine, in which the sorted mail pieces are loaded from sorting bins ofthe sorting machine into trays transportable for the mail pieces, with abuffer storage unit at or below each sorting bin for holding of onetray, characterized in that, for each buffer storage unit a confirmationelement for the presence of a tray is provided, in that, after a filledtray has been discharged from the respective buffer storage unit, anempty tray is reloaded into this buffer storage unit, and in that, as aresult of a signal triggered in this case from the confirmation element,the identification mark, previously read by a reading device, of thetray is assigned to the destination address or the destination addressarea allocated to this sorting bin by the current sorting plan and isstored.
 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that thereading device is blocked, after the reading of the identification mark,until the next confirmation signal relating to the presence of a tray istriggered.
 3. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that,after the discharge of a filled tray from a buffer storage unit, therespective confirmation element is reset to the empty state.
 4. Themethod as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a presence sensorfor trays is provided as confirmation element in the buffer storageunit.
 5. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that aswitching element to be actuated by the operator is provided asconfirmation element at the buffer storage unit or at the assignedsorting bin.
 6. The method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in thatthe sorting machine possesses a supply device for empty trays.
 7. Themethod as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that one or more supplystations assigned in each case to a specific sorting bin area andequipped in each case with a reading device for the identification marksof the trays are provided for the empty trays.
 8. The method as claimedin claim 5, characterized in that, after the last delivery of theprevious sorting run has been sorted according to the associated sortingplan, for the mail pieces of the next sorting run which are to besorted, the sorting bins are allocated to the destination addressesaccording to the sorting plan of the next sorting run, and, when all themail pieces of a sorting bin of the previous sorting run aretransferred, the tray for these mail pieces is removed from the bufferstorage unit and a new empty tray for the mail pieces of the new sortingrun is contained, after the reading of its identification mark, in therespective buffer storage unit, and the corresponding switching element(is actuated twice in succession, as a result of the first actuation thepresence of the tray just read in the buffer storage unit beingsignaled, and as a result of the second actuation the change of theassignment of the identification mark to the new destination addresstaking place.
 9. The method as claimed in claim 5, characterized inthat, at each sorting bin, a signal generator is located, which isswitched on by virtue of the correct actuation of the switching elementduring the loading of the buffer storage unit and is switched offautomatically, by a presence sensor located in each buffer storage unit,during the removal of the tray from the buffer storage unit.